Glen Johnson: ‘Guardiola and Klopp could find the England job boring’

After Gareth Southgate’s departure as England manager, a host of big names have been linked with the position, most notably Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and recently departed  Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. Despite the links, former England defender Glen Johnson believes that particular duo could find the job “boring” due to the pair’s passion for the day-to-day of club management. In an exclusive interview chat with Betfred, Johnson spoke to us regarding Enzo Fernández’s future at Chelsea, Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid rumours and whether he believes Liverpool were right to not match Manchester United’s offer for Leny Yoro. 

Starting with England, who would you love to see takeover from Gareth Southgate as their next manager?

“It’s a tough one really. I do quite like the England manager being English but at the same time, we do want the right person to come in and help us get over this hurdle that we’ve not been able to overcome. It needs to be somebody that knows international football and is capable of kicking us on that extra five, ten percent. Eddie Howe’s name has been mentioned and he’s not had experience at that level, but he certainly gets teams playing good football. Whoever does take it will be inheriting a bloody good squad and they just need that little bit more to get one of these finals ticked off.”

Your former teammates Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are also said to be in the running for the role. Do you believe either of them would be well suited to the job? 

“Yes definitely in terms of knowing international football. It would obviously be quite a considerable jump for either of them, as they’re early on in their managerial careers, but sometimes you’ve just got to roll the dice. I’m sure the players would love to have either of them managing them and sometimes you’ve just got to take the risk. If Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard was the England manager, then I believe the fans would love to see that.” 

Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp are both also linked with the England manager’s job. There’s also been reports claiming that England are prepared to wait until 2025 for Guardiola, but ultimately do you believe either of those candidates would be interested in the job or do you believe their sole focus would be to remain in club management?

“I can’t really see either of them being England manager. Both of them wear their hearts on their sleeves, they’re super passionate and ultimately, I believe both of them may find the job a bit boring to be honest. It’s clear that they both enjoy the day to day work that comes with club management and that’s something they won’t get at international level. They’d obviously have different roles and different things to do, but they wouldn’t get that consistent time on the training pitch with their players, which is something they love.

“You never know what could happen, but I highly doubt that either of them will take the job. You just don’t know.”

What are your overall thoughts on the controversy surrounding Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández partaking in ‘racist’ chanting after winning the Copa America with Argentina?

“It’s obviously a silly thing to have done and he’s upset people by doing it. He’s going to have to be the person responsible for making amends with his teammates, if that's even possible. If some of the players aren’t prepared to forgive him then it’s going to be for all involved to move on and then it’s going to be a difficult decision for the club/manager. He’s a bloody expensive player and if some of his teammates don’t want him in the dressing room, then it's going to be a tough situation for the club to have to deal with.”

We now want to move onto two forwards currently linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. Firstly, Ollie Watkins, who was England’s Euro 2024 semi-final hero, is being tipped with a move to Chelsea. Do you believe Ollie would be a perfect solution to your former club’s striker issue and ultimately, do you believe he would be prepared to leave Aston Villa this summer ahead of them competing in next season’s Champions League?

“I can see reasons for why he’d stay at Villa and for why he’d move to Chelsea. He didn’t get a lot of gametime at the Euros but when he got onto the pitch, England looked like a better team. I think if he got the opportunity to sign for Chelsea, then I believe he’d bite their arm off. Aston Villa had a great season and qualified for the Champions League, but Chelsea’s still Chelsea and I’m sure they’ll bounce back. Ollie would definitely improve them and I can definitely see that deal happening.”

Secondly, Chelsea, as well as Atlético de Madrid and PSG, are said to be interested in Manchester City forward Julián Álvarez, who’s rumoured to be looking for a move away from the Etihad. Do you believe Chelsea need to take the opportunity to sign Álvarez if the opportunity presents itself?

“Yes, because despite the lack of gametime, he’s done very well for Manchester City. You can understand why he could be considering his options because he’s a young guy that wants to play football. If he’s available and the deal’s not astronomical, then I definitely believe that Chelsea should be in the race to sign him.”

One forward who’s not currently heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge is Brentford’s Ivan Toney, but it’s believed that his club could be willing to part ways with him for £40 million this summer. If this is true, then do you believe Toney could be an excellent value for money signing for Chelsea?

“Yes, if he’s available for around £40 million, then definitely. He’s a striker with a good goalscoring record in the Premier League, so that comes with a price. If a striker can get you 15+ goals a season, then they’re usually worth more than £40 million, so if Chelsea can do a clever deal for Ivan, then they should definitely have him high up on their shortlist.”

The Athletic have reported that Chelsea are “well placed” in their bid to sign Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, who impressed greatly for Spain at Euro 2024. German sports publication Bild have also said that your former club also have an interest in Nico’s Spain teammate Dani Olmo, who was also fantastic at the tournament. Would you love to see that duo make the move to Stamford Bridge this summer and do you believe signing them two would be a huge statement from Chelsea ahead of the new season?

“You’re normally cautious about new players coming to the Premier League that have never played there before, but these two are proper players, so I wouldn’t worry about them in the Premier League at all. 

“After the Euros, they’re going to come with a big price-tag, but these are the types of players that Chelsea need to be signing. If Chelsea want to compete and get back into the top four and challenge for titles, then these are the type of players they need to sign. They’re big game players that took the Euros by storm and if Chelsea want to get back to being one of the best, then they need to have players like them.”

After an amazing Euro 2024, are you backing Marc Cucurella to replicate his form for Spain for Chelsea next season? Do you believe he could come back from the tournament a new player?

“At major tournaments, everybody is trying to bring their ‘A game’. You’ve got seven cup finals basically and a lot of players can perform above their level. Cucurella has had times when he’s played well in the Premier League, but exceeding at a major tournament is a different matter altogether. Maybe he enjoys it more with the Spain squad, so mentally he’s better prepared and potentially up for it more because he was brilliant at the Euros. We haven’t seen that level of performance from him in the Premier League yet. We’ve seen it in spells, but not on a regular basis. I hope he can stay in this sort of mood and if he can, then Chelsea have got a fantastic player on their hands. Hopefully he can turn the corner and do it for Chelsea.”

Ben Chilwell has been linked with a shock move to Manchester United in recent weeks. In your opinion, do you believe Chelsea need to keep a hold of Ben going into the new season?

“It’s a difficult one because you’ve got Marc Cucurella, who’s on cloud nine at the moment, and Ben, who’s a fantastic player when he’s fit. If I was the manager, I’d be letting them two go toe-to-toe in pre-season and keep whoever’s impressed me most. They’re both good enough to start for Chelsea, so I’d just let them fight it out for now. If Ben was always fit, then you’d keep him, but it’s hard to not play Cucurella off the back of the Euros.”

Chelsea are said to be very interested in signing Leeds United winger, and Championship Player of the Season, Crysencio Summerville. Leeds reportedly could demand £16 million for the impressive 22-year-old and in your opinion, do you believe he’d be a good bit of business for Chelsea and do you back him to make a big impression at Stamford Bridge next season if that move happens?

“I’ve not seen a great deal of him, but he’s got age on his side and he’s obviously been very impressive when you consider that he was named the best player in the Championship. If it’s true that he can be available for around £16 million and he’s been the best player in the Championship, then that sounds pretty cheap for a good player. I don’t know if he’d be ready to start for Chelsea right now, but players can raise their game when they’re surrounded by better players, so it may be worth taking the risk for £16 million.” 

Newcastle United are linked with a move for Chelsea’s Noni Madueke. Do you believe Madueke should be part of Chelsea’s long-term plans and how do you view his time at Stamford Bridge overall? Were you expecting more from him?

“I have expected more from him because at times he’s looked electric and that he can blow teams apart, but he sadly hasn’t done it enough. When he’s on it, he’s unplayable but in 18 months, I haven’t seen it enough. If Chelsea can get the right amount of money for him and reinvest that in new players, then that could work for the club.”

Moving onto Liverpool, with a year remaining on his current deal, Real Madrid are reportedly keen to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold. If he’s available on a cut-price deal and if Real Madrid have the funds to sign him, can you seriously see Trent turning that move down?

“Madrid’s Madrid. Liverpool are going to be going through some uncertain times in the short-term, so if Real Madrid are at the table, it’s difficult for players to not go. If he goes there, he’s likely to win the Champions League again, so I don’t think he could turn that down and Madrid would be crazy to not try and sign him. He could even sign a pre-contract with them from January onwards, but Liverpool can’t lose him for free. He’s way too good for that to happen and it would be ridiculous business for Liverpool to allow him to leave on a free transfer. 

“I’m sure Liverpool are trying to keep him, but as the clock’s ticking and that Real Madrid are interested in him, then it’s only going against Liverpool at this moment in time.”

After Holland’s exit from Euro 2024, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said; “I will think carefully this summer about what I want, at club level and as an international player." Would you be very worried if Virgil left the club this summer and at 33 years old, do you believe he’s still one of the very best around in his position?

“I would be alarmed if he left. He may not be the same player we’ve seen over the past six years, but he’s still Virgil van Dijk. He’s still a massive character, the team’s not the same when he doesn’t play and he’s still got a few good years still in him. It would be a big, big loss to the club, the fans and his teammates too. He’s still world-class and I think it would be a huge loss for Liverpool if he left.”

Marc Guéhi, who was one of England’s best players at the Euros, is said to be of great interest to your former club Liverpool and it’s believed he could be available for around £65 million this summer. Do you believe he’s worth that amount of money and do you believe he’d be a great replacement for Virgil van Dijk in the long-term?

“He won a lot of people over at the Euros and seeing him do it at that level gives you more confidence that he could replicate that form for the big clubs being linked with him. Is £65 million a fair price for him? I don’t know, but I think Liverpool should definitely try to sign him, regardless of whether Virgil van Dijk stays or not. He could replace Virgil in the long-term, but the two playing alongside each other would allow Marc to learn from one of the best before eventually stepping into his shoes. Liverpool should definitely try and make that move happen.”

French international Adrien Rabiot has left Juventus after the expiry of his contract and he’s linked with a host of clubs, including Liverpool. Do you believe he’s the type of midfielder that Liverpool are in need of and do you believe it could be great business to get him to move to Anfield on a free transfer?

“He’s a player I like and I’ve always been a fan, even more so when he’s free. He’s a top, top player and I know he’d command a certain wage with no transfer fee attached, but you can still do a deal that works for both him and the club. Players like him don’t come around often on a free, so I believe Liverpool should do all they can to sign him.” 

It’s believed that Liverpool’s top target this summer was Manchester United’s new signing Leny Yoro. Manchester United paid £52 million for the 18-year-old centre-back and ultimately, do you believe Liverpool were right to not match that offer?

“Yes, possibly. I’ve not seen too much of him, but it seems like an awful lot of money to pay for a very young centre-back. Manchester United need to make deals like that because they’re not in a very good place at the moment and they’ll have to outbid teams to eventually entice players to move to Old Trafford over the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid. Time will tell us who got it right, but it sounds as if Liverpool are being more sensible at the moment.”

And finally, another of your former clubs, West Ham United, are said to be in talks to sign Manchester United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Talksport have said that a potential fee for the defender could be £15 million and do you believe that would be a value for money signing? Do you believe he could flourish at the London Stadium?

“Yes, I think so. He’s probably one of the best defenders one-on-one, but he’s not on the ball, going forward or anything like that. As a defender that could be solid for the Hammers, then he could be a good signing for around the £15 million mark and it would be a sensible deal for the club to make. If the deal edges closer to around £25 million, then I don’t think it would be a good deal.”